Page 18 of The Wedding Twist

“Thanks,” said Celeste. She basked in the glow of his approval, feeling the same rush of pride she experienced whenever a new guest entered the lodge. “Come on in.” She motioned toward the great room, where the fire was crackling and the coffee-table books looked just right. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea or coffee?”

“I’ll take a coffee,” said Jack. “Black.”

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

Minutes later, when she reentered the great room balancing a tray with two coffees and a plate of white chocolate–dipped biscotti, she found Jack surveying the bookshelves, pulling out titles from the nature section. “I haven’t seen these in years,” he said, flipping through a volume of theLifeNature Library set.

“My parents are big collectors. Feel free to borrow one,” she said.

“I remember reading these in grade school.” He surveyed the rest of the shelf, where some of Everett’s published books were also featured. “Where’s the mystery section?”

Celeste smiled. “That’s in the puzzle room. You like mysteries?”

Jack’s eyes widened. “The puzzle room? You have an actual puzzle room?”

“We own a lot of puzzles—and even more mystery novels. I think we keep our Clue board game there too.”

He grinned. “I love that.”

Celeste loved how his eyes were alight with an infectious energy. She was tempted to ask him about his favorite authors, his opinion on the most deceptive red herring of all time, and what he thought about the television adaptation of the Three Pines series, but they had business to attend to. “I can give you the grand tour later. Here—have your coffee while it’s still hot.” She gestured toward the seating area in front of the fireplace.

Jack settled into one of the caramel leather couches, picked up his mug, and took a sip. “Great coffee. So, tell me about this group.”

Celeste opened her iPad. “It’s the groom, his best man—the other groomsman, the brother of the bride is arriving the morning of the wedding—another one of Jeff’s friends, the fathers of the bride and groom, and the great-uncle of the bride. So, six altogether.”

“And they were supposed to be doing what?”

“Outdoor adventure.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means whatever my dad decides in the moment. It depends on a number of factors. Weather, season, recent wildlife sightings…”

“Sounds…adventurous,” Jack said, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. She liked his easygoing nature. It made her feel confident about turning over the tour to him.

“It’s kinda what he’s known for,” said Celeste, her own smile mirroring his. “But now he’s knocked out. So…”

“So that’s where I come in. Do they know they’re going fishing?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know?”

“I don’t. But I’m operating from a place of optimism.”

“All right, given that I don’t know their skill level, I’ll plan for the classic workshop. Maybe you can give me a heads-up in the morning about approximate sizes. I’ll get all the gear together, and we’ll spend the day out on the Bow, get them pulling out some nice rainbow trout.”

“What about lunch?” Celeste said.

“There’s a burger joint at the river access that’s pretty good. We can get a couple tables there when they’re done.”

“Hmm,” Celeste said. With Everett’s excursions, Jeannie would always send an elaborate picnic, and he had a number of places that were great to stop, rest, and enjoy a gourmet meal on the go. The diner was okay, but there was no guarantee there would be a table big enough for the group, and they didn’t take reservations.

“You have another idea, it seems like.”

“What if I bring by lunch? Is there somewhere we can set up?”

“Outside? I’m okay with that. But will your group be?”

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